Disposable diaper with girdle

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a disposable diaper ( 2 ), in particular for incontinence use, with a hip belt ( 4 ), forming a waist opening of the diaper, sealed in the peripheral direction, which may be opened and closed in at least one position and which has a main diaper section ( 6 ) with a front region ( 8 ), a back region ( 12 ) and an intermediate a crotch region ( 10 ), comprising an impermeable layer ( 14 ) (back sheet), facing away from the body and a permeable layer (top sheet), facing the body, and with an absorption body for bodily fluids. The main diaper section ( 6 ) may be detachably fixed to the hip belt ( 4 ), by means of first closing elements ( 20 ) at the longitudinal end ( 18 ) of the front region ( 8 ) or the back region ( 12 ), such that a user can bring the main diaper section ( 6 ) through the legs, with a hip belt fitted, and detachably fit the still free longitudinal end of the main diaper section ( 6 ) to the hip belt ( 4 ). According to the invention, the applicability of such a diaper may be extended, wherein said diaper is embodied with second closing elements ( 26 ), in addition to the first closing means ( 20 ), acting between the hip belt ( 4 ) and the longitudinal ends ( 18 ) of the main diaper section ( 6 ), which can form a fitting connection between the hip belt ( 4 ) at one end and the front region ( 8 ) or crotch region ( 10 ) of the main diaper section ( 6 ) at the other end and which can be arranged such that, after detaching the first closing means ( 20 ), the front region ( 8 ) of the main diaper section ( 6 ) can be turned or folded away from the hip belt ( 4 ).

True Translation of PCT/EP2004/008335 as filed on Jul. 26, 2004

The invention concerns a disposable diaper, in particular forincontinent care, having a hip belt closed about a hip opening of thediaper and extending in peripheral direction which can be opened andclosed at at least one location and with a main diaper portion having afront region, a rear region and an intermediate crotch region as well asa back sheet layer which is impermeable to liquids and which faces awayfrom the body, and with a top sheet layer which is permeable to liquidsand faces the body as well as an absorption body for body fluids,wherein the main diaper portion can be attached in a detachable fashionto the hip belt at its longitudinal end of the front region or of itsrear region by means of first closing elements in such a fashion that auser, with the hip belt attached, can raise the main diaper portionbetween the legs and attach the free longitudinal end of the main diaperportion to the hip belt in a detachable fashion.

Disposable diapers of this kind have been disclosed many times in priorart. They have the advantage of allowing the user to initially apply thehip belt about the hips that usually conventionally closes in thestomach region. The diaper portion, whose rear region is normallyattached to the belt of the disposable diaper, then hangs loosely in thedownward direction. After the hip belt is closed, the user grasps thefreely hanging end of the main diaper portion and guides the end fromthe rear between the legs in the forward direction to attach the freelongitudinal edge to the hip belt at an inward or outward location andin a detachable manner using the first closing means provided therefor.Clearly, the disposable diaper can also be applied in such a fashionthat, after application and closing of the hip belt, the free downwardlyhanging main diaper portion can be guided from the front region towardsthe rear region between the legs of the user and attached, in adetachable fashion, to the rear region of the hip belt. In someconventional disposable diapers, the main diaper portion can becompletely detached from the hip belt to allow great flexibility withrespect to handling of the disposable diaper, in particular for users inneed of intense nursing care as well as immobile users.

Departing therefrom, it is the purpose of the present invention tofurther expand the ranges of application of a disposable diaper of thiskind.

This purpose is achieved in accordance with the invention with adisposable diaper of the above mentioned kind in that, in addition tothe main diaper portion and the first closing elements disposed betweenthe hip belt and the longitudinal end thereof, additional longitudinallyextending second closing elements are provided which facilitate, inparticular, detachable connection between the hip belt and the frontregion of the main diaper portion and which are disposed in such afashion that the user, after loosening the first closing element, canfold or flap open the front region of the main diaper portion away fromthe hip belt.

The invention therefore proposes a disposable diaper, in particular forincontinent adult care and for use by incontinent adults, with which theuser or the nursing personnel can open the disposable diaper forpurposes of inspection. Towards this end, the second closing meanspreferentially remain in place. Only the first closing means are openedbetween the main diaper portion and the hip belt and the main diaperportion is then folded or flapped open away from the hip belt for visualinspection of the interior of the diaper. One can thereby determinewhether or not the diaper is in need of changing or can be further usedfor the retention of fluids or solid body discharges. Towards this end,it has turned out to be particularly advantageous when the diaper mustonly be partially opened through release of the first closing means butotherwise remains on the body in the appropriate position for use. Bymeans of the supporting function effected by the second closingelements, the disposable diaper remains in the chosen optimal position.Inspection of the diaper is therefore very rapid and can be carried outwithout inconvenience to the user.

The diaper in accordance with the invention also offers an additionaladvantage, since it must not only be used as a proper incontinencearticle rather, if appropriate, can also preferentially be used by maleusers as an undergarment with which the forward region can be partiallyopened while the disposable diaper otherwise remains seated on theclosed hip belt, to allow the user to urinate. The user thereby foldsover the main diaper portion sufficiently far from the hip belt suchthat, in the otherwise applied state of the diaper with the secondclosing elements in place, urination is possible without wetting thediaper. This feature has turned out to be particular useful fordisposable diapers in accordance with the invention used by individualswith only partially impaired urination control who normally sense theurge to urinate and can accordingly search for an appropriate toiletfacility. In this case, the user, with the hip belt applied, can loosenthe first closing element to then fold or flap open the front region ofthe main diaper portion away from the hip belt so that, in particularfor males, the user can urinate outwardly in the usual fashion, withoutthe disposable diaper being wet by body fluids.

This possible use of the disposable diaper is extremely important withrespect to the psychology of the user. The user thereby looses the senseof having to use a typical incontinent article, even if this ispartially or substantially the case. In particular, communicationbetween the patient and nursing care personnel is improved andacceptance of the inventive incontinence article increased.

The terminology “longitudinally extending second closing element”defines a preferentially strip or band-shape for the second closingelement, with which the width is not necessarily exceedingly narrow,although the greatest possible handling flexibility should beguaranteed. The second closing element advantageously has a length ofbetween 10 to 50 cm, in particular between 10 to 40 cm and mostparticularly between 15 and 35 cm. In certain cases, e.g. for use indisposable diapers for particularly corpulent individuals, they can evenbe longer. The width of the second closing element transverse to thelongitudinal extent advantageously lies between 0.5 and 8 cm, wherein aregion of 0.5 to 6 cm, in particular up to 5 cm, in particular up to 4cm and preferentially up to 3 cm is preferred.

Two such longitudinally extended second closing elements arepreferentially provided which extend from the sides of the hips towardsa lower portion of the front region facing away from the belt or eveninto the crotch region of the user. The front region of the main diaperportion of the disposable diaper can be detached from the hip belt andfolded away or folded over between the two sideward closing means in aforward direction, in a lower direction or even in an inward direction,but in any event away from the hip belt. The second closing means, inthe applied state of the diaper, advantageously thereby have anapproximately V-shaped extension with respect to each other. They must,however, not necessarily cross in the region of their ends. The anglewith respect to a longitudinal middle axis of the disposable diaper canadvantageously lie between 5 and 60 degrees, in particular between 5 and50 degrees and most particularly between 10 and 50 degrees. Clearly, twoseparate, longitudinally extending closing means are not absolutelynecessary. It would also be conceivable and even advantageous in certainapplications, configurations and uses in the event that the two closingelements are formed from a single V-shaped or curved element.

The second closing means can be manufactured from a substantiallynon-elastic material or can include such a material. In this event, inthe configuration of the disposable diaper in accordance with theinvention, one should take care during proper use of the disposablediaper that the second closing means remain closed and attached in adirection towards the crotch of the user on the main diaper portion insuch a manner that the main diaper portion can be sufficiently foldedaway from the hip belt to permit inspection or viewing and/or such thatthe user can urinate in the manner described above. In contrast thereto,it has turned out to be extremely advantageous in the event that thesecond closing means are stretchable and preferentially elasticallystretchable. In this event, the second closing means are not necessarilydisplaced further in the downward direction i.e. in the direction of thecrotch region of the main diaper portion rather, with a suitableconfiguration of the closing means, can also be stretched during foldingover of the front region of the main diaper portion for purposes ofurination.

Designation of the second closing means as “stretchable” means thattheir initial length in the unstretched state can be increased by atleast 10% and preferentially by at least 50% through introduction ofcorresponding tensile forces. The term “elastic stretchability”describes a stretchable material which returns to its original lengthafter removal of the stretching forces. “Elastic stretchability” definesa situation in which the material is stretched to at least 130%,preferentially to at least 150% of its original length and can reset theincrease in length by at least 50% and preferentially immediately andcertainly within about 3 minutes. Expressing this situation in terms ofnumbers, a material having a 10 cm initial length can be stretched to 15cm initial length and return to a length of at most 12.5 cm.

When the first closing means are opened, the second closing meansmaintain the diaper on the body of the user in the proper position evenif the disposable diaper or its absorption body has absorbed or containssignificant amounts of fluid which attempt to draw the main diaperportion of the diaper in a downward direction. Independent thereof, thelongitudinally extended second closing means support a precisepositioning of the diaper on the body of the user. The second closingmeans can, in particular, be applied in such a fashion that theyexercise a pre-tension on the neighboring main diaper portion of thedisposable diaper and urge same into close seating on the body, withoutcausing uncomfortable cutting. In particular, for the case of mobileusers with otherwise relatively little physical impairments and with ahealthy mental state, the second closing means can also serve foroccasional use, which leads to significant psychological advantages.

As mentioned above, the longitudinally extended second closing meanscan, in particular, comprise two strips or band-shaped closing meanshaving two oppositely lying free ends. In accordance with an embodimentof the invention, each free end of the closing means is permanentlyattached to the hip belt during proper use. The other opposite lying endis free and, when applying the diaper to the body, is preferentiallyattached to the outer side of the main diaper portion, preferentially inthe lower front region or in the crotch region of the main diaperportion and in a detachable fashion. In accordance with anotherembodiment, the longitudinally extended second closing means can bepermanently attached to the main diaper portion, in particular to thefront region or the crotch region of the main diaper portion duringproper use, and the detachable holding connection is fashioned in theregion of its opposite end to cooperate for attachment to and releasefrom the hip belt.

In a further embodiment, both ends the second closing means areattached, preferentially in a permanent fashion, to the hip belt and tothe main diaper portion and have a detachable closable connection alongtheir longitudinal extent. This connection can be, for example, apreviously adjustable buckle, a buckle whose position along alongitudinal extent can be adjusted, a gluing connection, or amechanically acting closing element.

Both the first as well as the second closing elements can compriseconventional mechanically closing elements, in particular hooks or loopsof material, but also gluing regions. Gluing and mechanically actingclosing elements are conventional and well known in the art so that adetailed description thereof is not necessary. One would simply like tomention that the first closing means, the second closing means, as wellas the opposing closing elements on the main diaper portion or on thehip belt which cooperate therewith are disposed in such a fashion thatthe user can decide where to effect the holding connection and withwhich adjustable tension the holding connection should be formed.Moreover, it is also possibility to close the first and or the secondclosing means by means of pre-positioned closing elements or opposingelement regions on the main diaper portion or on the hip belt. In thismanner, the user can effect as correct a positioning of the closingmeans as possible. In this case, an elastic stretching configuration ofthe material, in particular of the closing materials, has turned out tobe advantageous to accommodate different body sizes and shapes of theuser.

In accordance with a particularly preferred embodiment of the presentinvention, the second closing means, when presented to the consumer inparticular in a packaged state prior to use, are folded onto each otherin a pleated manner.

In accordance with an additional advantageous configuration of theinvention, the second closing means, when presented to the consumer inparticular in a packaged state prior to use, extend along the hip belt.They can thereby be attached at one end to the hip belt, wherein thesecond closing means thereby constitute an augmentation of the hip beltor can be integral therewith. For example, the hip belt can have aseparation location in the peripheral direction at which the secondclosing elements can be formed as a longitudinally extending band-shapedsection of the hip belt. In a particularly advantageous improvement ofthis concept in accordance with the invention, the second closing meansformed by the section of the hip belt can be disposed on the hip beltvia intended breaking locations.

In accordance with another configuration of the invention, the secondclosing means, when presented to the consumer in particular in apackaged state prior to use, are disposed on the liquid impermeablelayer. In this case as well, the second closing means can be configuredthereon in an arbitrary fashion and in a detachable manner.

A still further configuration of the invention proposes that the secondclosing means, when presented to the user, in particular in the packagedstate prior to use, are associated with the hip belt or with the maindiaper portion in such a fashion that they can be left in thisconfiguration and not used, without interfering with diaper usage. Theycan also be contained in a package which is separate from the hip beltand from the main diaper portion, in particular, if a disposable diaperin accordance with the invention is only to be used as a pureincontinence article or if, within a certain nursing care situation, onedesires rapid application or removable of the hygiene article, inparticular, by the user himself. The configuration or association of asecond closing means as described has thereby turned out to beadvantageous.

In an improvement of this concept in accordance with the invention, theclosing means are configured on the hip belt or the main diaper portionin such a fashion that, upon presentation to the user in particular in apackaged state prior to use, they are covered. This can be effectedthrough overlap by additional covering elements, or covering layers.Pocket-like receptacles can also be provided at appropriate locations ofthe hip belt or of the main diaper portion or a second closing means, inparticular ones which are folded in a pleat like fashion ontothemselves, can be held or coved with a removable tape strip.

In accordance with an additional independently inventive concept, whichcan be used with a disposable diaper of the above mentioned kind, thesections of the hip belt that extend transverse to the main diaperportion can be folded in a pleated fashion (Z-shaped) onto themselvesand/or in the direction towards the middle axis of the disposablediaper. In a further configuration of this concept which is inventive inand of its own right, the sections of the hip belt which extend on bothsides away from the main body portion can be folded onto each other inan overlapping portion towards the longitudinal middle axis of thediaper, when presented to the consumer in particular in a package statedprior to use. Towards this end, the free ends preferentially extend inthe outward direction, away from the longitudinal axis of the diaper sothat the user of the diaper can easily grasp them such that the hip beltunfolds upon grasping.

In a further configuration of this concept in accordance with theinvention, the hip belt is made from a single material section thatextends in a peripheral direction. In another configuration of theconcept in accordance with the invention, the hip belt is preferentiallymade from a single piece and folded in such a fashion in the inwarddirection onto the main diaper portion that one fold of one belt sectionpenetrates into a fold of another belt section.

Further features, details and advantages on the invention can beextracted from the associated claims and the representation in thefigures as well as the subsequent description of preferred embodimentsof the disposable diaper in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 1 shows the disposable diaper in accordance with the invention inthe applied state;

FIG. 2 shows a plan view of the disposable diaper of FIG. 1 in the flatstate;

FIG. 3 shows a plan view corresponding to FIG. 2 of a further embodimentof the disposable diaper in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 4 shows a schematic view of a further embodiment of a disposablediaper in accordance with the invention in the applied state;

FIG. 5 shows a plan view of the disposable diaper in accordance withFIG. 4 in the flat state;

FIG. 5 b shows a plan view corresponding to FIG. 5 of a disposablediaper having associated second closing means;

FIG. 6 shows a schematic representation for folding the hip belt;

FIG. 7 shows a schematic view of a further disposable diaper inaccordance with the invention in the applied state; and

FIG. 8 shows a schematic representation of a further embodiment of adisposable diaper in accordance with the invention in the applied state.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show a first embodiment of a disposable diaper 2 inaccordance with the invention in the applied and in the flat states. Thedisposable diaper includes a hip belt 4 and a main diaper portion 6which is attached thereto in a detachable or permanent fashion andhaving a front region 8, a crotch region 10, and a rear region 12,wherein the rear region 12 overlaps the hip belt 4 and is preferentiallypermanently attached to the hip belt 4 at that location. FIG. 2 shows alayer 14 that is liquid impermeable and which is disposed on a sidefacing away from the body i.e. on the back sheet of the disposablediaper. In addition to the back sheet, the main diaper portion 6includes an absorption body (not shown) and a top sheet that ispermeable to liquid, which faces the body (not shown), and which iseither made from a layer of the absorption body or from a separate, topsheet layer.

The hip belt 4 has sufficient length in a transverse direction of thedisposable diaper such that (as shown schematically in FIG. 1) it can beclosed onto itself about the entire hip of a user to form a peripherallyclosed hip opening. Towards this end, the hip belt includes closing tabs16 or other arbitrary closing elements that can function in a glued ormechanical fashion. In accordance with a preferred embodiment,conventional mechanical closing elements in the form of hook and loopmaterials can be used. In a preferred embodiment, the closing elementsinclude a textile or textile-like outer and/or inner layer, inparticular, a fleece (non-woven), which forms the loop material. Thisouter and/or inner side can serve as an interaction region for acomponent having hooks and disposed on the free ends of the hip belt 4.

First closing means 20, in the form of closing lashes or tabs, areprovided on the free longitudinal ends 18 of the front region 8 of themain diaper portion 6 at both the left and right sides. These closingelements also have arbitrary conventional closing elements. Mechanicalclosing elements are preferred, in particular in the form ofhook-building components of a hook and loop material, in which case, theouter side 22 of the hip belt 4 has components that constitute the loopmaterials, at least in the interaction region. Clearly, the firstclosing elements 20 must not be provided in the form of protrudingclosing tabs. It is also conceivable as well as advantageous in theevent that the longitudinal ends 18 in the front region 8 are providedwith closing elements on their inner or outer sides in the cross hatchedregions 24 or continuously so that the main diaper portion can beinternally or externally attached to the hip belt 4 in a detachablefashion.

The figures also show elongated strip or band-shaped second closingmeans 26 which extend, in the representation according to FIG. 2, as thehip belt 4, in the peripheral direction, transverse to the longitudinalmiddle axis 27 of the disposable diaper 2. In the embodiment shown, thesecond longitudinally extending closing means 26 are attached to the hipbelt 4 in a detachable or preferentially permanent fashion at one end 28approximately in the region of the side edge 30 of the main diaperportion 6. In the example shown, their width 32 is less than the width34 of the hip belt 4 and they extend in a peripheral direction beyondthe free ends of the hip belt 4. It would also be conceivable for thesecond closing means 26 to end, in the peripheral direction, before thefree ends of the hip belt. On their ends 36 disposed opposite to theends 28, the second closing means 26 have arbitrary conventionalmechanical or glue closing elements 38 which, in the case shown, are inthe form of protruding tabs.

FIG. 3 shows a plan view, corresponding to FIG. 2, of an additionalembodiment of a disposable diaper in accordance with the invention. Inthis disposable diaper, the second closing elements 26 are positioned inthe middle on the hip belt 4. Their attached ends 28 are disposed insideof the main diaper portion and their free ends 36 are attached to thehip belt 4 in a detachable fashion by means of arbitrary closingelements 38.

FIG. 1 shows the disposable diaper 2 in accordance with the invention inthe applied state. The diaper is usually applied in such a fashion thata user initially directs the hip belt 4 about his hips so that it formsa closed loop, and then closes the hip belt in the stomach region usingthe closing elements 16 provided therefor. The user then takes the maindiaper portion 6, which is hanging freely over his bottom, and graspsbetween the legs in a forward direction to dispose the free longitudinalend 18 of the front region 8 of the main diaper portion 16 inwardly oroutwardly on the hip belt 4 and thereby close the disposable diaper bymeans of the above described first closing elements 20. This correspondsto the primary closing function of the disposable diaper. In this state,the disposable diaper 2 is particular useful for incontinent care. Itwould also be conceivable if the longitudinally extended second closingelements 26 remain unused in their configuration seen in FIG. 2,remaining on the hip belt. In contrast thereto, FIG. 1 shows the secondclosing elements 26 in an activated closing function. The free ends 36of both closing elements 26 are attached in a detachable fashion to theouter side of the disposable diaper 2 in the lower portion of the frontregion 8 or in the crotch region 10. In this fashion, a user can adjustan arbitrary tension when closing the second closing elements 26 tothereby achieve an additional support function for the main diaperportion 6 of the disposable diaper. In the example shown in FIG. 1, thesecond closing elements 26 extend in the applied state sideward from thehip of the user at an angle between 30 to 50 degrees relative to thelongitudinal central axis 27 and in the inward direction. They thereforetravel in a substantially V-shaped manner. This permits the user to openthe first closing means 20 to thereby free the front region 8 of themain diaper portion 6 from the hip belt 4 and to move it away the hipbelt in an inward or outward direction, in a folded or flapped manner.In the event that the second longitudinally extended closing elements 26are configured in an elastic fashion, they may be stretched during thecourse of the above action. This new application of the disposablediaper in accordance with the invention allows the user to urinatewithout having the disposable diaper exposed to fluid. Subsequentthereto, the user can once more attach the main diaper portion 6 to thehip belt 4, as described above.

The embodiments according to FIGS. 4 and 5 show configurations of thesecond closing means 26 on the outer side of the layer 14 (back sheet)which is liquid impermeable and which faces away from the body. They aredisposed to extend in the direction of the longitudinal middle axis 27.Towards this end, the longitudinal extended second closing elements 26are attached at one end 28 to the crotch region 10, in a detachable orpermanent fashion. Their other free end 36 is attached in a detachablefashion by arbitrary closing elements 38. It is, however, noted that thesecond closing element 26 of the disposable diaper can also be providedas a separate piece. In this case, the back sheet of the main diaperportion, as for example shown in FIG. 5 b, can have arbitrary, inparticular, mechanical or glued complimentary closing elements disposedin the region designated with reference symbol 70 which cooperate withcorresponding closing elements 38 of the second closing means 26 toeffect a holding engagement. It is also conceivable and advantageous inthe event that the overall outer side of the back sheet is created insuch a fashion that it can engage in holding connection with the closingelements 38 of the second closing means 26. In this case, it would beadvantageous in the event that the preferred engagement areas 70 for theclosing elements 38 of the second closing means 26 are visuallyindicated on the back sheet in order to simplify positioning by the userof the second closing elements.

FIG. 4 shows the disposable diaper in the applied state. One notices theapplied ends 28 in the crotch region and the free ends 36 attached tothe hip belt 4 in a detachable fashion.

FIG. 6 schematically shows a preferred folding of the hip belt 4 on themain diaper portion 6 as seen in the direction of arrow VI in therepresentation of FIG. 5. (In FIG. 5, the hip belt is shown in theunfolded state). The hip belt 4 is made from a single piece materialsection. It includes a hip belt section 40 protruding from one side anda hip belt section 42 that protrudes from the other side. The hip beltsection 40 is initially folded in the inward direction about an axis 44parallel to the longitudinal middle axis in the region of a longitudinalside edge 46 of the main diaper portion 6. The section 40 is then foldedonto itself about a second folding axis and in the outer direction. Asan independently inventive concept, the position of a second foldingaxis 48 in the transverse direction 50 is disposed such that a free endsection 52 of the hip belt 4 can be easily grasped by the user in amanual fashion in a vicinity of the longitudinal side edge 46 of themain diaper portion. The free end 52 can thereby be disposed slightlyoutside of the longitudinal side edge 46 or slightly inward from thelongitudinal side edge 46 (not shown).

The other section 42 of the hip belt 4 is likewise folded about a firstfolding axis 54 and about a second folding axis 56. Towards this end,the position of the second folding axis 56 in a transverse direction 50is preferentially chosen in such a fashion that, as previously describedin connection with the free end 52 of the first section 40, the free end58 of a second section 42 seats in a easily grasped fashion and in thevicinity of the other longitudinal side edge 60. The folded sections 40,42 overlap each other over a region 61.

The top sheet 62 and the back sheet 64 are also shown in FIG. 6. The hipbelt is folded on the outer side of the disposable diaper.

FIG. 7 shows a further embodiment of a disposable diaper in accordancewith the invention, wherein the second closing element 26 is configuredas a single elastically stretchable band that extends in the peripheraldirection. As can be seen in FIG. 7, this band can be disposed in thedirection towards the crotch region of the disposable diaper 6 tothereby form a V-shaped detachable connection.

In accordance with the further embodiment of FIG. 8, the second closingelements 26 are permanently attached to the main diaper portion or tothe hip belt 4 in particular on both ends 28 and 36. However, they havea detachable connection 66 disposed approximately in the middle section.The closing elements 26 can be separated at this location and can beattached to each other in a detachable fashion using conventionalclosing elements, possibly through hooks or hooks and eyeletconfigurations.

1-19. (canceled)
 20. A disposal diaper for user incontinent care, thediaper comprising: a hip belt forming a peripherally closed hip openingof the diaper with means for opening and closing the hip belt at a leastone location; a main diaper portion having a front region, a rearregion, an intermediate crotch region, a back sheet layer facing awayfrom the patient which is impermeable to liquids, a top sheet layerfacing the user which is permeable to liquids, and an absorptive bodyfor body fluids, wherein said main diaper portion also has means forattachment to said hip belt in a detachable fashion at a longitudinalend of said front region or of said rear region via first closing meansin such a fashion that the user, with said hip belt applied, raises saidmain diaper portion between the legs and attaches a free longitudinalend of said main diaper portion to said hip belt in a detachablefashion, wherein said first closing means are disposed between said hipbelt and said longitudinal end of said main diaper portion; andlongitudinally extended second closing means for effecting a holdingconnection between said hip belt and said front region or said crotchregion of said main diaper portion, said second holding means beingstructured, dimensioned and disposed such that the user, after looseningsaid first closing means, folds or opens said front region of the saidmain diaper portion away from said hip belt.
 21. The disposable diaperof claim 20, wherein said second closing means have a length of 10 to 50cm, of 10 to 40 cm, or of 15 to 35 cm.
 22. The disposable diaper ofclaim 20, wherein said second closing means have a width transverse to alongitudinal extent thereof of between 0.5 and 8 cm, between 0.5 and 6cm, between 0.5 and 5 cm, between 0.5 and 4 cm, or between 0.5 and 3 cm.23. The disposable diaper of claim 20, wherein, in an applied state ofthe diaper, said second closing means extend in an approximatelyV-shaped manner with respect to each other.
 24. The disposable diaper ofclaim 20, wherein said second closing means are elastically stretchable.25. The disposable diaper of claim 20, wherein, during proper use, saidsecond closing means are permanently connected at one end to said hipbelt and are detachably connected to said main diaper portion at another end.
 26. The disposable diaper of claim 20, wherein, during properuse, said second closing means are permanently connected at one end tosaid main diaper portion and are detachably connected to said hip beltat an other end.
 27. The disposable diaper of claim 20, wherein saidsecond closing means have ends which are attached, or which are attachedin a permanent manner, to said hip belt and to said main diaper portion,said second closing means also having a closeable, detachable connectionalong their longitudinal extent.
 28. The disposable diaper of claim 20,wherein said first and/or said second closing means have mechanicallyacting closing elements or glued regions.
 29. The disposable diaper ofclaim 20, wherein said second closing means cooperate for closing withpre-positioned, opposing closing elements or regions on said main diaperportion or on said hip belt.
 30. The disposable diaper of claim 20,wherein said second closing means, when presented to the user orcustomer in particular in a packaged state prior to use, are folded in apleated manner.
 31. The disposable diaper of claim 20, wherein saidsecond closing means, upon presentation to the customer in particular ina packaged state prior to use, are disposed or extended along said hipbelt.
 32. The disposable diaper of claim 20, wherein said second closingmeans, upon presentation to a customer in particular in a packaged stateprior to use, are disposed on said liquid impermeable layer.
 33. Thedisposable diaper of claim 20, wherein said second closing means, uponpresentation to the customer in particular in a packaged state and priorto use, are associated with said hip belt or said main diaper portion toremain in an unused state, without interference.
 34. The disposablediaper of claim 20, wherein said the second closing means, uponpresentation to a customer in particular in a package state prior touse, are covered.
 35. The disposable diaper of claim 20, wherein saidhip belt is permanently mounted to said rear region of said main diaperportion.
 36. The disposable diaper of claim 20, wherein said hip belt isintegral with said rear region of said main diaper portion.
 37. Thedisposable diaper of claim 20, wherein said hip belt is attached in apermanent fashion to said liquid impermeable layer of said main diaperportion.
 38. The disposable diaper of claim 20, wherein said hip belt isconfigured in a peripheral direction as one, continuous piece.